Raphael's acts of the apostles tapestries for Leo X: Sight, sound, and space in the Sistine Chapel

Abstract

The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican was the intended site for tapestries depicting the lives of Saints Peter and Paul that were commissioned in 1515 by Leo X, designed by Raphael in Rome, and woven in the Brussels workshop of Pieter van Aelst. The contribution these tapestries made to papal majesty has long been acknowledged, and various schemes for their hanging within the chapel have been proposed. Their effect not only on the preexisting paintings but also on the spoken and sung rituals that took place in the Sistine Chapel is significant as well.